It Costs Taxpayers $1.4 Million to Encourage Latinas to Go Walking

After more than a year of shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, who can say they don’t appreciate a good walk?

But spending $1.4 million of taxpayer money to encourage Latinas to go for walks may be taking it a bit too far.

The National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities gave the funding in two parts to Klein Buendel, Inc. to create a “location-based app that will help Latinas connect with nearby walking partners.”

Klein Buendel, Inc. spokesperson Valerie Myers said, “Caminemos Juntas! will be the first app that use geo-location technology dedicated to walking with a social emphasis, for any population.”

The Golden, Colo.-based Klein Buendel, Inc. has received over $42 million in federal grants since 2008. The company describes itself as “a small woman-owned health communication research and technology firm that designs, develops, and evaluates public health interventions in collaboration with academic, public, and private partners.”

Encouraging all people to walk is good — good for their health, lowering blood pressure, helping them lose weight and preventing things like heart disease and stroke.

But should cheerleading a walking app to Latinas cost taxpayers $1.4 million?

The #WasteOfTheDay is presented by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com.